Sunday, October 03, 2010

PERMANENT ARTIFICIAL HEART

In what could be considered the first constructed alive cyborg the Italian pediatric surgeon Antonio Amodeo implanted a permanent artificial heart of 4 cm long and a little more than 90 g in weight (adults artificial hearts weigh 1kg), to a teenager of 15 years, within his left ventricle connected to the ascending aorta, in an operation that lasted 10 hours. The electrical heart functions as a hydraulic pump remaining inserted indefinitely in the patient's chest. It was inserted last week at Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù of Rome Italy, a hospital funded by the Vatican. The heart runs on batteries recharged at night attached to the waist of the teenager, having a plug inserted behind the left ear. It is expected that this heart will add another 20 to 25 years to the adolescent's life, that before the operation looked quite faint and now will lead a normal life. What comes next? Donor hearts will not be necessary? Future artificial hearts will be twice as efficient as normal? They will pump more blood? With them will we have a new generation (elite), of athletes?